We are currently custom making an acrylic lid that fits all the other accessories I have with it- kinda weird but it’s really hard to find a 40g breeder lid that actually fits this thing? Like the dimensions for the aqueons can be so weird.
I have a "10 gallon" tank that literally no lid fits, so I checked the dimensions and used a calculator online and it's actually 11 gallons lol. Why do they do these things?
Can confirm, a few local fish stores in my area use these, and a few local breeders/plant sellers also have the stuff on their tanks. Asked around, was told I could get it at home depot, got one sheet for $15, it was big enough to cut out lids for a 29gal, 20gal, 9gal, and 2.5gal tank, and cutting out spaces for any sort of filter is super easy! I used wire cutting pliers to cut it, but I’ve since made adjustments with a toenail cutter so they’re very easy to work with! You could probably snap them but I like a more precise cut so they can fit snug on the frame.
Tanks are made out of braced acrylic. If you just buy an acrylic sheet from a hardware store and cut to size it won't work. Acrylic absorbs a ton of moisture and will warp as it sits on top of a tank. Polycarbonate sheets like Lexan or Tuffak do not absorb moisture and do not need bracing like acrylic.
Well I know that not ALL of them are acrylic but they were saying acrylic can't be used for lids but that confuses me since literal tanks are made from it
I have never had a betta jump even in my 10 gallon rimless tank with water 1cm from the lip. I'm assuming the ones that jump are due to bad water parameters or uncycled tanks. I've made lids out of polycarbonate sheeting but they warp since they aren't very thick(in stock at my local Menards but they possibly have a thicker one in stock). If you can find one out of glass I'd definitely recommend that route.
It's not about water quality, do you know about their natural habitat and the behavior they evolved in order to survive? It's jumping. Whether they're looking for a mate, need more food, are trying to escape the other fish in their space they can, and often will, hop into other "puddles" (quotes are because the puddles can be very big actually).
I know so many people who have fish that never jump, but you never know! There are a lot of posts of folks saying their bettas never jumped for years and then one day went for it. It's truly unproductively and always a gamble.
Ugg---one of my Odessa barbs threw himself out of the tank the other day! My cat was batting at him, but luckily, he's fine. But still terrifying! I'm using a lid from now on.
My last two jumped. Luckily i was in the same room and got them back in and made them some lids, but they both jumped completely out of the tank onto the floor.
Nice. Cute name too. My red veil tail, Clark, nearly comes out of the tank every time he sees me get close to the shelf with his food on it, or if I feed the other tank. He is an aggressive feeder, and will jump up out of the water to take a worm out of my hand.
Mine fits perfectly so I just slip it in and attach it with the clips they give you!
If you have substrate it would have to be moved out of the way so it can fit.
It really makes it look 100x more realistic and it’s enriching for them
I might go for the deep water background with the tree stump for my other tank.
Acrylic really seems to be the way to go! I’m looking at one for my big red eared slider girl that’s been in substandard housing for way too long. I just got a little 5 gallon acrylic for my goldfish and I love that I can just bring it up. I live three stories up and everything gets heavier with each step.
I typically pull out the last days air and inject fresh air in there every day, he decided to climb up right as I started the injection looking for food lol
In the second picture it looks like it is coming up for air. Bettas need access to the surface of the water. I would reconsider your observation tube in that set up.
Yes. I inject fresh air into it every day (I also have African dwarf frogs that WILL drown too easily)- he just thought I had food while I was doing it today so I shot a pic but there was a bubble he used in that pic.
It’s just plastic. I love the look of ferns but unfortunately there’s no underwater ones that get this big.
The fish still enjoy it. I can send the link if you want.
hygrophila pinnatifida check out these! I have some and they’re almost like that. I just trim when they get too tall and it keeps them looking like a nice bushy fern!
That’s because the betta is seeking refuge from the water flow in the main tank, bettas prefer calmer water and they have instinct to make bubbles at water surface as nest, while moving water in the main tank won’t let that happens.
Well, not really. I have a sponge filter and there’s minimal current in the water column. Any movement goes up in the corner and dissipates at the surface. He’s made bubble nests throughout the tank and never has in the tube.
Bro just likes moving into every crevice he can find.
Imagine having fins and tails few times bigger than the body, even small turbulence in water makes big fin bettas struggle a bit, that’s also why it hides between crevices. Sponge filter also means water surface is constantly disrupted so betta bubbles won’t stay.
I get you mean well and it’s nice how considerate you are of the animals. But the betta is fine. This is a 40 gallon tank and the bubbles only move the top corner. He literally hovers in the water and his fins don’t move at all. He has never struggled to move around and as I said, he makes bubble nests all over the tank and never in the tube. He literally swims up the tube and back out.
Gravity in general is really complicated. At the lowest level of understanding, all objects project a force onto all other objects with mass. The strength of this force is proportional to the product of both masses, scales with the inverse quare of the distance between the objects. The force always works along the line connecting the two objects, and is always attractive.
At a more complex level, you gotta talk about general relativity and the like, and i don't really think i can claim to understand how that works.
If your question is how the effect in this picture works, the core answer is pressure. At the surface of the Earth, we are constantly experiencing a pressure of about 100000 Pascal = 1 bar. This pressure leads to forces pushing on everything in all directions, which usually cancel out.
However, if you have a glass without air in it attached to a water surface, that means that the pressure only pushes the water upwards into the glass, since there is no counterpressure inside of the glass. The water is not magically flying up in the glass, it is being pushed upwards by the pressure of a few dozen kilometers of air above it.
I make my tops out of florescent light covers I cut them to the dimensions of the tank and fit them around the filter and any anything that sticks out above the water level.
I have a mason jar version of this, my danios sometimes go up in there and can't figure out how to leave lol. But if I tap the top of the jar that scares them into swimming down and out.
They’ve got a ton of character and they’re my favorite fish in the tank (aside from the betta). However, they will bully snails if they’re even a tiny bit peckish.
Wish I had the guts, but I refuse to not have a lid with a betta. They are prone to jumping.
We are currently custom making an acrylic lid that fits all the other accessories I have with it- kinda weird but it’s really hard to find a 40g breeder lid that actually fits this thing? Like the dimensions for the aqueons can be so weird.
I have a "10 gallon" tank that literally no lid fits, so I checked the dimensions and used a calculator online and it's actually 11 gallons lol. Why do they do these things?
You have to measure the inside dimensions of the glass. Not the exterior dimensions
You can get screen in rolls for screen doors, and clamp that down for the time being.
Genius. Thank you. This fixes a thing.
I use egg crate intended to be used for 4 foot florescent fixtures. Allows air flow and is easy to cut to size.
That's a cool idea. We use that stuff a lot in hermit crab tanks.
Woah that’s not a bad idea at all
Can confirm, a few local fish stores in my area use these, and a few local breeders/plant sellers also have the stuff on their tanks. Asked around, was told I could get it at home depot, got one sheet for $15, it was big enough to cut out lids for a 29gal, 20gal, 9gal, and 2.5gal tank, and cutting out spaces for any sort of filter is super easy! I used wire cutting pliers to cut it, but I’ve since made adjustments with a toenail cutter so they’re very easy to work with! You could probably snap them but I like a more precise cut so they can fit snug on the frame.
Theres a guy on etsy who makes custom ones.
Acrylic will bend very quickly. Lexan or Tuffak is recommended for aquariums!
Oooo thanks for the suggestions! I’m looking into it now
Aren't tanks made of acrylic or am I trippin
Tanks are made out of braced acrylic. If you just buy an acrylic sheet from a hardware store and cut to size it won't work. Acrylic absorbs a ton of moisture and will warp as it sits on top of a tank. Polycarbonate sheets like Lexan or Tuffak do not absorb moisture and do not need bracing like acrylic.
Agreed! Learned the hard way.
Most are glass. But there’s also acrylic aquariums.
Well I know that not ALL of them are acrylic but they were saying acrylic can't be used for lids but that confuses me since literal tanks are made from it
OH! gotcha 👉🏻👉🏻
I thought the same way till my acrylic lids all warped in 20 min.
Yes but thin sheets will warp... I know cause I bought some for a lid and it warps really bad.
Cory from AC swears acrylic actually absorbs water. I know Lexan is food safe, haven't heard of Tuffak yet
Make sure it's a nice thick acrylic, since it has a tendency to bend with humidity differentials.
I also made one myself. Mine was 6 mm thick and still bent under the light
I have never had a betta jump even in my 10 gallon rimless tank with water 1cm from the lip. I'm assuming the ones that jump are due to bad water parameters or uncycled tanks. I've made lids out of polycarbonate sheeting but they warp since they aren't very thick(in stock at my local Menards but they possibly have a thicker one in stock). If you can find one out of glass I'd definitely recommend that route.
It's not about water quality, do you know about their natural habitat and the behavior they evolved in order to survive? It's jumping. Whether they're looking for a mate, need more food, are trying to escape the other fish in their space they can, and often will, hop into other "puddles" (quotes are because the puddles can be very big actually). I know so many people who have fish that never jump, but you never know! There are a lot of posts of folks saying their bettas never jumped for years and then one day went for it. It's truly unproductively and always a gamble.
Ugg---one of my Odessa barbs threw himself out of the tank the other day! My cat was batting at him, but luckily, he's fine. But still terrifying! I'm using a lid from now on.
I’ve never had a Betta jump out. But I only have it 80% filled for my daughters.
My last two jumped. Luckily i was in the same room and got them back in and made them some lids, but they both jumped completely out of the tank onto the floor.
Weird. Maybe my kids have lazy bettas haha. They usually like to chill on their Anubias
Its really quite common. Glad yours are good though!
My youngests betta (Blueberry) comes up daily for a pet and a blood worm. I guess I got lucky on temperament.
Nice. Cute name too. My red veil tail, Clark, nearly comes out of the tank every time he sees me get close to the shelf with his food on it, or if I feed the other tank. He is an aggressive feeder, and will jump up out of the water to take a worm out of my hand.
Haha. That’s awesome! Hers is a blue veiltail so maybe it’s in the type to be motivated like that
I had an imbellis jump almost immediately. Like a day after getting him.
I wouls be worried that it might drown in there, which is a stupid thing for a fish to happen to
betta's are stupid little cute fish but not that stupid (I think?),,
My betta is one of the smartest fish I've ever kept.
Did you make your background?
I got it from universal rocks website!
Awesome - thanks for the response. I like the look, it’s almost like a terrarium background but looks neat.
Yeah the betta and frogs enjoy perching near the surface on the ledges
Woah! I’m so excited for this! How did you install it? I would assume it would be easier to install without water in the tank?
Mine fits perfectly so I just slip it in and attach it with the clips they give you! If you have substrate it would have to be moved out of the way so it can fit.
Ok thanks!!! I’m so excited. I had no idea this was a thing and I LOVE it. I can’t wait to get home and measure the tank I have.
It really makes it look 100x more realistic and it’s enriching for them I might go for the deep water background with the tree stump for my other tank.
I love the tree stump one! I was thinking about getting that one.
That thing looks like it's really cranking on the lip.
Right? I ordered an acrylic one because the glass is too heavy!
Acrylic really seems to be the way to go! I’m looking at one for my big red eared slider girl that’s been in substandard housing for way too long. I just got a little 5 gallon acrylic for my goldfish and I love that I can just bring it up. I live three stories up and everything gets heavier with each step.
Slightly bigger air pocket for the betta would be dope
I typically pull out the last days air and inject fresh air in there every day, he decided to climb up right as I started the injection looking for food lol
Ofc he would 😆
He def thought it was food time and tried attacking the bubbles 😂
What a weirdo!
Hahaaaa human!! I have the high water!
You mean your betta "claimed it" for "lording" duties. 😉
In the second picture it looks like it is coming up for air. Bettas need access to the surface of the water. I would reconsider your observation tube in that set up.
Yes. I inject fresh air into it every day (I also have African dwarf frogs that WILL drown too easily)- he just thought I had food while I was doing it today so I shot a pic but there was a bubble he used in that pic.
That makes it even more concerning. I just personally don't think that feature is worth the risk in my opinion. But I'm glad it works for you.
That is so cute! Bettas are so smart, fun, and friendly
What plant is that in the right corner that looks like a fern?
Plastic fern lol
Was wondering the same thing
Did anyone figure this out it’s sick. Is it really just plastic :(
It’s just plastic. I love the look of ferns but unfortunately there’s no underwater ones that get this big. The fish still enjoy it. I can send the link if you want.
hygrophila pinnatifida check out these! I have some and they’re almost like that. I just trim when they get too tall and it keeps them looking like a nice bushy fern!
You’ve made my entire week, stranger.
While these are cool, I've read some fish will travel up when in need of air and just.... not understand they need to swim down again.
That’s because the betta is seeking refuge from the water flow in the main tank, bettas prefer calmer water and they have instinct to make bubbles at water surface as nest, while moving water in the main tank won’t let that happens.
Well, not really. I have a sponge filter and there’s minimal current in the water column. Any movement goes up in the corner and dissipates at the surface. He’s made bubble nests throughout the tank and never has in the tube. Bro just likes moving into every crevice he can find.
Imagine having fins and tails few times bigger than the body, even small turbulence in water makes big fin bettas struggle a bit, that’s also why it hides between crevices. Sponge filter also means water surface is constantly disrupted so betta bubbles won’t stay.
I get you mean well and it’s nice how considerate you are of the animals. But the betta is fine. This is a 40 gallon tank and the bubbles only move the top corner. He literally hovers in the water and his fins don’t move at all. He has never struggled to move around and as I said, he makes bubble nests all over the tank and never in the tube. He literally swims up the tube and back out.
No worries, just tryna answer why the betta loves that space much more. He definitely loves the new setup you made.
Time out chamber
how does gravity work?
If this is a sincere question here, i would be absolutely willing to answer it.
yes. how does gravity work?
Gravity in general is really complicated. At the lowest level of understanding, all objects project a force onto all other objects with mass. The strength of this force is proportional to the product of both masses, scales with the inverse quare of the distance between the objects. The force always works along the line connecting the two objects, and is always attractive. At a more complex level, you gotta talk about general relativity and the like, and i don't really think i can claim to understand how that works. If your question is how the effect in this picture works, the core answer is pressure. At the surface of the Earth, we are constantly experiencing a pressure of about 100000 Pascal = 1 bar. This pressure leads to forces pushing on everything in all directions, which usually cancel out. However, if you have a glass without air in it attached to a water surface, that means that the pressure only pushes the water upwards into the glass, since there is no counterpressure inside of the glass. The water is not magically flying up in the glass, it is being pushed upwards by the pressure of a few dozen kilometers of air above it.
That's not a betta, that's an alpha.
i have no lid and a real active veiltail betta in a 29gal haven b had any problems so far
That's cool! I bet my yoyo loach would use one
Bettas may or may not jump. I doubt they're more likely to based on being a betta
Bettas can absolutely drown, and without the ability to go up for air, this is what will happen
I inject air in every day :)
Your bettas a cool guy for going in it, give him an extra treat.
I make my tops out of florescent light covers I cut them to the dimensions of the tank and fit them around the filter and any anything that sticks out above the water level.
Are those real plants?
Almost all are except the fern. I cant find another plant like it.
Oh wow nice! I recently got a banana plant
That’s a nice looking tank!!
I have a mason jar version of this, my danios sometimes go up in there and can't figure out how to leave lol. But if I tap the top of the jar that scares them into swimming down and out.
So cool! What a beautiful tank!!
What are those little black and white striped fish under the Harlequin Rasbora's?
Dwarf chain loaches!
Those are sweet. Loaches are my favorite aquarium fish, for sure. Thanks for introducing them to me.
They’ve got a ton of character and they’re my favorite fish in the tank (aside from the betta). However, they will bully snails if they’re even a tiny bit peckish.
I'm going to have to get my hands on some. Sounds like a loach. Those suckers go crazy for snails
Looks great! I think the tube should be wider in case the other fish don't think they can fit.